Deafening Crescendo
by Buttgustinglaughter
Summary: A gentle build to what ultimately would be. Rated M in case for later chapters, but it's pretty much fluff. Sasusaku
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Her pink hair had grown longer over the years, and brushed lightly over her shoulder blades as she walked across the cobbled road, smiling as she saw a tall blond waving at her from behind a large bouquet of flowers.

"Hey Forehead"

"Hey Pig"

They chatted about the recent whatevers, and interesting happenings, but the topic never strayed too far from light and safe. Until Ino asked:

"Have you been to seen Sasuke lately?"

Sakura paused. It had been a year or so after the war had ended, and team 7 had grown back together slowly. They sometimes went on missions together, but with Sakura needed more and more at the hospital, those were far and in between. Sasuke and Naruto fell back into their familiar bickering pattern, and trained often together, with Sakura things were still slightly awkward. Or maybe it was all in her head. She still got a bit nervous around him, and she swore that he was also slightly tense at times when they got too physically close during sparring. She frowned, and chastised herself for having such a glimmer of hope when she knew Sasuke wasn't the type for romance or love. Sasuke was frequently away on missions, however an intense battle had recently brought him to the hospital, and forced bed rest for about a month. She knew he must feel agitated for being caged in and knowing that he still would be for so long, but she also still felt awkward around him.

"No, actually. I suppose I just forgot"

"You fucking liar, you are over thinking things again. Just go see him, I mean, it's clear you want to"

"..."

"How about you take some of my flowers to him? Say they're from everyone."

Reluctantly, Sakura grasped the bouquet of yellow roses Ino handed her, and headed towards the hospital.

As she stepped into the room, a mass of black hair stuck up and out in the back, rose up from the bed. His dark eyes met her bright ones, and he struggled to sit up.

"Don't over exert yourself! You only got out of surgery two days ago!" the flower bearer exclaimed.

"Aa" he replied, as he gently laid back down.

"How are you feeling? Do you want me to bring you something nicer to eat tomorrow?"

As much as she had tried to avoid coming, just seeing him all bandaged up and in pain brought out that motherly instinct to take care of him. She contemplated all the types of soups with tomato in it and which one he would like most. Before she could decide he grunted out:

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"You aren't the boss of me, and I will worry as much as I'd like." She retorted. "How about some simple onigiri and tomato slices to not upset your stomach?" She almost giggled as his lips pursed slightly together like a young child giving in. "I'll take that as a yes. It's quite late, so I'll be heading off now. Rest well Sasuke-kun." She gave him one last bright smile, gently left the roses on his bedside table, and quietly closed the door behind her.

* * *

 _Sasuke-kun_

He hadn't heard his name with the honorific for so long, as she was the only one to call him that. He also hadn't heard her voice in so long, his cheeks tinged with the lightest shade of pink as recalled her saying his name. He shook his head trying to get her voice to leave his mind and his gaze fell upon the flowers she had brought. Tch, he thought, what a useless gesture. Why bring such a useless thing? He would find much more use with a bouquet of kunai knives. Of course,, he was still grateful to have had a visitor, after the dobe and Kakashi came yesterday, no one else came to see him. Not that he was expecting anyone else, but perhaps he had been waiting for Sakura to come. He looked around the dreary room, with its grey curtains, sterile plastic, and grotesquely white lighting. He sighed and resigned himself to his next month trapped within these walls.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

He awoke to the heat of the sun streaming across his face and the sound of medical trolleys being pushed through the hallways. He stared up at the ceiling, trying to console himself from his misery but thinking about Sakura coming to bring him lunch. Wait he was consoling himself by thinking of Sakura? He shook his head a bit too vigorously and hissed in pain from an upper shoulder injury he had irritated. A nurse came in to change his dressings rushed in alarmed."Sir are you alright? Do you need some painkillers?" Even more flustered now that he had done this to himself he lightly shook his head and laid still as she went to work in his bandages.

He hated having other people touch him. He only really knew touching in the context of combat and the only medic he didn't mind was Sakura. Why wasn't Sakura attending to him? She always came to him on her own accord, always nagging about being more careful, always chatting about nothing extremely important. He had become accustomed to her, yet this time, she didn't come. Perhaps she was very busy with other patients and couldn't take time to just dress wounds. Perhaps she... was caring less about him? No, that couldn't be it. But what was his mind doing racing over these useless thoughts? It was clear laying in bed was already affecting him. He needed to train to clear his head. Damn these wounds!

"All done! I'll be back tomorrow sir"

"Aa" he frowned. Unsure of what to do to keep his mind from fixating on his pink haired teammate. At that same instant, the girl in question waltzed through the door bearing two large bags. One had inside a large bento box full of what she had promised the day before, and the other she had yet to reveal.

"Sasuke-kuuun! I found these varieties of cherry tomatoes that were yellow and orange! Aren't they cute?" He found it quite odd, but since they tasted the same he made no comment on them as he picked up an onigiri. "Ne, we should spruce the place up a bit if you're going to stay here for a while. Having a nice environment is important for healing, or just living in general." She finished her portion and walked round the room, her eyes sparkling thinking about what she could do.

"Please no girly stuff." Sasuke actually didn't know what Sakura's decorating style was since he had never been over to her place, but he made the warning just the same.

She giggled, "Trust me, it will be tailored to you. Do you want to me to come by again quickly tomorrow for the same lunch? I know hospital food can be icky."

"Are you busy tomorrow?" His mind focused on the word 'quickly'.

"When am I not busy?" she sighed, "but yes, tomorrow by appointments are almost back to back."

"Don't bother then." Turning his head towards the window, "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? Well, ok. I'll try to come by the day after. Oh shit, I've got an appointment soon. See you later Sasuke-kun!" She hurried out into the hallway, forgetting the second bag she had brought.

Curious he opened it and peered at the contents - a calligraphy set. It was a dark mahogany box with matching brush handles. The ink stone had never been used and was in the shape of a tear drop. There was thin practice paper inside along with fancier paper with small gold flakes peppered throughout. A small note inside had Sakura's medic-nin scribbles:  
I know you'll be bored since you can't go out, so why not learn the zen art of calligraphy? You'll need to be a master at everything to keep up the Uchiha mantle!  
-Sakura

A little affronted that she implied he was not good at the art, he laid out all the tools and quickly learned that he indeed, was terrible at the art form. He tried to remember the techniques taught in primary school, he wrote idioms, and sometimes just doodled. He was so absorbed in the ink and paper he hadn't realized that the sun had set. He was pleased at his days work and fell asleep already feeling rested.

It was already the weekend nut she hurried from one room to the next, strained from chakra depletion. She finally had a 30 minute break and willed her legs to rush over to Sasuke's room, pulling a large, heavy suitcase. He raised and eyebrow at her when she came in, questioning the case. She smiled brightly as he was bent over the calligraphy set she had brought. "Do you like it?"

"Hn" was his only reply. She smiled even wider and proceeded to open the suitcase and reveal a large black sheet with the Uchiha crest in the middle and hung it up on the wall opposite the window. "I thought I would try and make it feel more like home." She continued by putting his weapon set box against the wall under the sheet, a bowl of fresh fruit on the table, and a stack of books right next to that. "What do you think? Not too shabby for 10 minutes huh?"

"Aa..." He was a bit stunned on how much he liked everything. The items were simple, but the gesture felt large. He was about to mumble out a 'thank you', but before he could utter a word, she was zipping up the suitcase and racing to her next appointment.

He felt a bit ashamed there wasn't anything he could do for her. Perhaps he could talk Tsunade into giving Sakura a vacation. She was in dire need of one. He continued his newfound love of calligraphy, which had replaced his daily training, as he contemplated the ways to show his appreciation, since he obviously wasn't quick enough or comfortable enough in everyday conversation.

She crept into his room early the next morning to leave some fresh tomatos in his fruit bowl, knowing well that he had definitely eaten all of the ones from yesterday already. But like a mindreader who knew she would come refill the bowl, there was a golden peppered paper draped over top. It said "arigato" in lovely strokes, with a small Uchiha fan drawn in the corner, used as a signature. She felt a little overwhelmed at such a sweet gesture from him. Was this... Romantic? Were they people who were romantic now? It was always hard to see the line between good friend and lover, but in Sasuke's case it was almost impossible to tell. As they were communicating through this secret code she supposed, she took the paper, rolled it up carefully and tucked it in her pocket, leaving behind the tomatos.

He awoke to a bowl overflowing with tomatos and a feeling of satisfaction. As he took a tomato in his hand, he felt sure that she had liked his small token. Sakura seemed to line those kind's of things. Also, him saying 'arigato' was almost this strange thing in itself - their inside... Not joke, but something special between them.

He spent the next few days reading and writing, Naruto sometimes came by to bother him, but Sakura had been too busy to come by. Suddenly Tsunade pushed through his door. "Uchiha, you can go home now if you'd like" Sasuke squinted his eyes, it had only been two weeks. "Don't look at me all suspicious, you came to talk yo me a few days ago remember?" He thought back to their conversation where he requested to be discharged as early as possible, and if Sakura could get a break from the hospital for a little while. "So i thought of a way to actually do it. You can't heal yourself alone, you also need monitering to make ymsure you dont go spar and open your wounds, she can't technically be taken off work right now, so she will be your full time in home caretaker until you have completely healed. It's a job that is less demanding since there is only one patient. What do ya say Uchiha?"

It was logical when she put it that way, though the thought of living with Sakura for two weeks made his cheeks tinge pink. It had been a long time since they had slept in close quarters and she had become such a beautiful woman... He shook his head before his thoughts took him to a dangerous place.

"You don't like this plan? Didn't you say you wanted to leave here badly?"

"Ah, no, I do. I just have a headache"

Tsunade gave him a look, "alright Uchiha, Sakura's is ready when you are. Call the hospital if you need anything." He watched her leave and put his face in his palms. The second time he has shook his head to clear out thoughts of Sakura leading to embarrassing situations. Why was he getting so flustered? He sighed and started packing his things.

"Wow!" She exclaimed. The Uchiha manor was quite large and had a beautiful wooden staircase with and open kitchen and living room. Over the fireplace was a large Uchiha crest, next to a large red sofa and black coffee table. Everything looked new and clean. She had both bags and hesitated at the stairs since he was still in a wheelchair. "There's a guest room downstairs I can use." Listening to his direction she pushed him into a small yet sunny room with a low queen sized bed And a simple wooden desk. She helped him onto the bed where he sighed in relief. She giggled, "Feels better than those cheap cots huh?"

"Aa" he answered weakly.

She laughed Again, and unrolled a futon by the wall. He tensed as he realized her intention. As if reading his mind she said "I know it's weird but you technically should be in a hospital where nurses are on call. This is the best decision I can make as a medic-nin to provide you with the best and quickest care. And we used to sleep in the same tent all the time Sasuke!"

He did realize it seemed irrational to get worked up, but the times she was referring to was when they were twelve, not nineteen. He tried his best to hide his swallow, but his eyes were blinking more than usual and his cheeks tinged pink trying not to think about Sakura in compromising positions on his bed.

Not sure if she pretended not to notice or genuinely missed the slight distress on his face, she hummed lightly to herself as she unpacked her things. They settled in for the night, all the while he tried not to think impure thoughts.

The next morning, Sakura got up and found Sasuke still asleep. Odd, she thought, since he usually is an early riser. She decides it is because he is healing, but in reality, it took him hours to fall asleep with her mere presence making him sweat.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

His kitchen had stainless steel appliances, a dark granite counter, and a sadly, empty fridge. She sighed as this house was beautiful, but clearly not lived in. It looked like a model home for sale. She walked to the nearby grocery and bought staples, condiments, and an abundance of fresh produce. Being a doctor, she knew he needed more nutrients to heal faster, and was not bad at cooking. As she started unpacking her purchases into the cupboards, Sasuke finally dazedly walked into the kitchen.

"Hey! You're walking around again! Come sit, I'm going to make you an omelette and toast for breakfast. She busied herself around the kitchen, humming a song he didn't recognize, full of energy. He trudged his way to the stool by the counter and quietly watched her. He observed more about her today, as he had never really seen her cook, or do anything other than spar, heal people, or eat ramen, all of which during he was also occupied. Now, unable to help, he just stared openly. He noticed the way she furrowed her brows slightly when concentrating, the way her lips puckered casually seemingly at random, that annoying wisp of hair that kept falling from behind her ear. How he wished he could push it back. How would it feel to gently tuck those strands behind her ear, lightly brushing her face in the process. Would she blush? Would she get angry? He was still fixating his gaze on her hair, so lost in thought, he only came back to reality when, "It's finally ready. Itadakimasu!" He found a large omelette full of various vegetables in front of him with buttered toast and a steaming mug of tea on the side. He just couldn't believe how long he had stared at her, and thinking about these kinds of things. What was happening to him? What kind of magic was this?

* * *

She stared happily at him as he slowly ate the meal she had made. He would sometimes look up and make eye contact, and quickly look away. His face wasn't very expressive, but she could have sworn she saw him blush. They ate mostly in silence, with Sakura peppering the conversation with random facts or news. Once finished, she took the plates to the sink and started washing up, and Sasuke continued to slowly drink his tea. "What would you like to do today?" she asked, "We can do outside for a walk, or I'll push you since you are still a bit weak. But it will be good to get some fresh air and sunshine." He nodded and proceeded to the bedroom to change.

They decided to just go around the Uchiha manor gardens, since they were already spacious enough for a stroll, and Sasuke didn't want others to see him in a wheelchair. They passed one of the many apple trees in his yard, and Sakura reached up to pluck one off. She gently put in Sasuke's hands, making sure to linger their contact was long as possible. There was no doubt in her mind anymore, he was definitely blushing. How odd, she thought, he was never the type to physically push her away, nor initiate. He seemed to be indifferent to everything, that it was so strange to see any kind of reaction. She wondered if it was her specifically or just that she was a women. I guess he is a man after all, she thought, better late than never I suppose. They continued their garden walk, and she made sure to lightly brush up against him and get a little too close as much as possible, just enjoying the signs of slight distress on his face. Why was this so enjoyable? Was she a sadist? But after having walked enough, they returned inside for her to change his bandages and perform some chakra healing.

* * *

Was she doing this on purpose? They had never been on a leisurely walk with him being pushed in a wheelchair. He had no benchmark to gauge whether this amount of touching or closeness was normal. It always felt abnormal to him, yet she always seemed so comfortable. She had gotten so close just a few minutes ago. "Is that a bug in your ear Sasuke?" and she leaned in close, peering at his left side, so close he could feel the tickle of her hot breath on his lower jaw. He swallowed hard and tried to keep his head on straight, but with the painkillers, lack of sleep, and the sound of his name almost whispered into his ear, he felt slightly faint. Changing his bandages were also a strange form of torture as she moved her hands all over his body and kept bringing her head so close he could smell her hair. He tried to count the seconds until it was over, lest his hormones make him do something he would regret later.

He now focused on his new found love of calligraphy. He was becoming quite adept at the art form. He gracefully moved his brush across the paper, now at ease with how the ink flowed and spread. "Wow, you've really improved in two weeks!" she exclaimed, taking one of the pages he had just finished. "We should hang some of these up. Maybe one above your bed?" Before he could argue against it, she had already pinned it vertically to the wall. She always did what she felt like, but if not, it would be hard to be with him, since most people who try to be polite would shy away from his cold and apathetic state. She decided to go visit Ino since she was technically taking a break, and Sasuke didn't seem to need any immediate attention. "Call me if you need me, ok?" He nodded mutely not looking at her, listening to the padding of footsteps as she left through the front door. He stayed in the living room, just reading, and practicing calligraphy.

* * *

She came back to find Sasuke fast asleep on the couch. She carefully packed up the set, and was about to place the finished papers in the box he kept all his work in. She gasped when she saw the stacks and stacks of paper overflowing as she opened the box. He had really practiced a lot! She smiled. Sasuke never did half ass anything did he? As she picked up the sheets that had fallen out, she almost stopped breathing as she read her name on the pages scattered on the floor. Sakura. She rifled through the box and had trouble processing what she saw. Sakura. In thin scribbly script. Sakura. In thick bold strokes. Sakura. Vertically. Horizontally. With small drawings of cherry blossoms. Sakura. Sakura. Sakura.

A slight grunt form Sasuke in his sleep jolted her to her senses. She quickly packed up his things and with her brute strength, lifted Sasuke gently over to his bedroom. She made sure there was a glass of water beside his bed, and left the room to contemplate what she had discovered. Was that actually real? Am I dreaming? Sakura had found proof in his shyness that he found her physical proximity alarming, and she had just thought that it was because of male hormones. But was there something more? Did Sasuke really care about her as more than a friend? She went through every page, looking for someone else's name, Naruto, Kakashi, Itachi, Uchiha, anything. There was only idioms, drawings, and Sakura. Would it be conceited to think that he loved her? Asking him directly would probably be too much. She didn't want to scare him away if these feelings were just budding. She would wait for him until he was ready. She would always wait.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

He groaned as he threw and arm over his eyes to block out the glaring sun. He sat up groggily, and felt slightly confused. Did he walk over to bed? He couldn't remember, but he didn't think too much of it, and made his usual slow walk to the kitchen, wincing slightly from his wounds. He saw his breakfast on the counter with a little note that read "Good morning sleepyhead! Don't you dare waste a bite of this, you need all of it to get strong and get better. I was called into the hospital suddenly for a patient who is very ill. I should be back after lunch (that is also in the fridge, just warm it up)." He started eating but noticed the living room was clean. Odd. He didn't remember cleaning that up, and he would just put away the papers and left the set on the coffee table as he was going to resume again today...

He almost choked on his tea. Sakura had cleaned it up last night. What had she seen? Had she seen his embarrassing collection of her name? He still wasn't sure of his feelings. He didn't understand romantic love, and what it meant. He just knew he liked writing her name. He just knew he liked thinking about her. He just knew that living with her this past week was something he could get used to. Was that love? He wanted to sort things out himself before even thinking of letting her know. He knew about her past feelings, and though she never showed any sign of fangirling, or more love to him than Naruto, maybe she was hiding it? Why confuse her more? He sighed into his tea, and decided to put the box away in his closet after eating.

* * *

Sakura collapsed on the chair in Sho's office, her colleague at the hospital, and the main doctor of the patient in surgery. They had spent 4 hours straight attempting to heal intense lacerations and organ damage to a young shinobi that had come back from a mission this morning. Sho soon followed her and also slumped in his office chair. "Well that was a tough morning. Thanks for coming in today, I know you are supposed to be on break, or being a home stay medic, but we needed more chakra and skill for those kinds of injuries."

Sakura smiled weakly, but genuinely, "It is always a pleasure to help Sho. I probably should get back to my patient to attend to his wounds."

Sho looked at her intently, "Are you… and Uchiha-san dating?"

Slightly flustered, she replied, "Oh… no, we're team mates first. I am not really sure about if he is capable of that sort of thing." She suddenly remembered the papers with her name and blushed, but tried not to think about it, as it confused her.

"Well, that is good news for me. Would you like to go to dinner tomorrow evening? I finally have a night off."

If it was possible for her to get even more flustered, she did. "Oh Sho, that is very sweet of you to ask, um, sure." Sho was always so kind and funny, warm and sweet. There shouldn't be any reason why not, she was on break wasn't she? She was a young attractive female wasn't she? They made more small talk before she finally headed back to the manors where a raven haired man awaited her return.

* * *

He paced back and forth in the living room, slowly, as it still was a slight strain, but he was annoyed as she still wasn't home and it was almost dinner time. Finally the door opened and she staggered over to the couch looking exhausted. He sat down beside her and shot out, "What took so long?" he asked, unable to mask the agitation in his voice. She didn't register his tone and replied "It was a pretty intense surgery. Sorry for making you wait Sasuke-kun. Do your bandages need changing?".

"Tch, I did them myself today, I'm getting better, but you were supposed to be on a break, look at you, you barely made it home without collapsing." She looked up at his face, surprised by his unusually wordy response, and his open worrying about her. He seemed to realize what he had said, and coughed awkwardly and looked away, "Just… I need you still for chakra healing. Don't use it all up.."

Understanding his way of worrying about her, she beamed at him. "Ok Sasuke-kun, I will rest so I have the ability to heal you properly." Her smile was so radiant he swore that was why his face felt like it was burning. "Hn" he grunted with his arms crossed, trying not to let it show that she affected him like this. She was so tired and even if it wasn't romance or love, she was sure he cared for her as a friend, so she closed her eyes and leaned on his shoulder. He stiffened, but slowly relaxed and let his head rest atop of hers. They sat there in comfortable silence, until they both fell into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Somehow during the night they had laid down, Sakura's head resting on Sasuke's chest, with their limbs entangled. He awoke first, blushing when he realized arms were wrapped around her. She started to stir. He froze. "Mornin' Sasuke..." She mumbled as she raised her head to look at him. "That was really nice! I love group naps and sleep. There's something so soothing to hear another heartbeat and to just snuggle. I feel so well rested!" She leisurely sat up and stretched her arms into the air. "Mmmmmph!" So all of this was platonic? Does she do this with Ino? With Naruto? He frowned, "I guess it was alright".

"Gomen, I must be heavy, maybe that's why. Well I'm going to make breakfast now. You keep resting then." He honestly didn't need to, since I was one of the best night's sleep he has ever had.

"Ah Sasuke, I forgot to tell you I won't be in until late evening or night."

"Why is that"

"Ah... Um, I have a date, I guess." She tucked a strand of hair behind her head and looked down at her feet. The slight blush on her face annoyed him.

"With who?"

"Dr. Sakurai. Or Sho, my colleague. Do you remember meeting him? He helped patch you up as well a few weeks ago."

He vaguely remembered a brown haired man with sloping shoulders. That dork? Really? But why was he getting to worked up? He managed to utter, "Have fun."

"Arigatou Sasuke, sorry to leave you bored. Maybe invite Naruto over?"

He had not seen the dobe in a while, perhaps it would be good to have different company. He needed a break from Sakura, as she was starting to visit him in his dreams.

She wasn't sure, since he was never the cheerful type, but the atmosphere suddenly felt tense. He seemed...moody. Lunch was more awkward than usual, as his characteristic one syllable responses were replaced with silence. He picked at the food on his plate looking surly, like a young grumpy child, she remarked.

As she started to get ready for her date, looking through the closet for the ideal outfit, he leaned against the bedroom door frame looking at her intently. "Did you want something Sasuke?" He furrowed his brow and looked away, opened his mouth like he was about to speak, but closed it and shook his head. He was clearly experiencing some sort of inner conflict. She had a feeling he didn't want her to go on this date, but if he can't yet verbalize his feelings, and sort out what he wants from her, why not go and have a fun night out with a nice guy? She sighed looking at her clothes hanging. Was she trying to make him jealous? To push him to act upon his feelings? Maybe. She hardened her resolve when she saw a dress Ino had bought for her and she never wore because she was too shy. If She was going to make him jealous, she wasn't going to half ass it.

* * *

"Oi! Teme! Your house is huge! Why don't you ever have parties?"

Naruto rushed into the house poking his nose in whatever drawer he could find, making unnecessary comments.

Though it was nice to see him and hear him chatter about everyone. Sasuke wasn't interested in the trivial parts of people's lives, but it was good to keep up with bigger events like Garaa getting married, Kiba becoming high rank jounin, a few of their peers were already having children!

"Sakura-chaaaan! Who's the lucky guy?" Sasuke turned his head to see Sakura walking towards them in a floor length dark blue dress. Only in certain light when she moved could you see the hint of blue. The back was very low cut, you could see her entire back, her hair was tousled in an updo, and her eyes had smoky make up that made her eyes seem even brighter.

"Aw, Naruto you're making me blush. We are going to a pretty fancy place, so I thought I should look nice." She fiddled with her small clutch purse and slid her feet into the heels she had brought from the bed room. Sasuke knew he should stop staring now, it was past the appropriate amount of time to be looking, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. He also couldn't stop the gnawing feeling in this stomach knowing that she would be showing all of that to another man. She would be laughing with him, maybe touching his arm, maybe looking into his eyes. Sasuke's gaze really bore into her. He was aware that she had just caught his gaze and she started getting flustered. He didn't blink an eye and kept up his smoldering stare. "Um, I'm gonna wait outside. Bye, have fun!" He continued watching her back as she closed the door, and his body was conflicted with chasing after her, or the that Sho guy to tell him to fuck off.

"Uhh, earth to Sasuke? You alright there buddy?" Sasuke snapped back to reality and responded nodded resolutely. Naruto dove right back into conversation, bringing up his new relationship with Hinata. Sasuke's ears perked up at the new information. "Ne, teme, have you ever, you know, been with a girl?"

Sasuke didn't want to answer let alone be talking about this. But Naruto was being less annoying that usual today so he supposed he could cooperate. "You mean sex dobe? No."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, same. I don't really know what to do. I mean we've kissed a lot. A lot a lot. But I think maybe she's waiting for me to make the next move?" Sasuke nodded slightly to show he was listening, but as Naruto rambled on about his doubts, Sasuke thought there was maybe a parallel here. Not with sex, he was nowhere near there, but that maybe Sakura was also waiting for him to make the next move. She had definitely seen his calligraphy papers. She never mentioned it. She brushed off the sleeping on the couch together as a casual friendly thing. Perhaps she knew he needed to be the one to make the choice. She was waiting for him to be ready. Was he ready yet? Taking in all the observations of the past few weeks, the rational conclusion is that he had a huge crush on her. Maybe even loved her. But now she was out with another man?

"Oi, teme, are you listening?"

"No. I think I need to leave."

"What leave? I know you don't need the wheelchair anymore but you still gotta rest buddy. No more missions for a while."

"That's not what I meant. Do you know what restaurant they are at?"

"Sakura and her date? She mentioned that fancy shmancy Italian place that has chandeliers. Figaru? Figero... ah!" He slammed his closed fist onto his other open palm, "Figaro."

"Sorry dove, I've got somewhere to be."

"Ehhh?" But before Naruto could get a word in, Sasuke had flown through the door, running barefoot towards the heart of the city.

* * *

She was eating something she couldn't pronounce, so it was definitely fancy. She felt slightly out of place with all the elites around them, but Sho made it comfortable with his good natured temperament. They were finishing up the meal when a dark figure appeared beside their table. "Sasuke?" She sputtered? Almost dropping her wine glass.

"My deepest apologies for the interruption Dr. Sakurai." Sasuke calmly stated, without taking his eyes off of Sakura.

"Oh, well... I guess..." Once again, Sasuke was gone in a flash before he could finish his sentence, but this time with Sakura in tow.

He had brought them up to a random deserted rooftop, with laundry gently swaying with the wind. "Sasuke?" Sakura was stunned at this turn of events. She had meant to make him a but jealous, but never thought he would come get her. "Can you... not... " He struggled again to vocalize his feelings. "I don't know... what love is. I don't know if I can give you what you want or need. I'm so confused, I don't like being confused. But I don't like you with that guy either." He felt like he was rambling, he did not plan this at all. "I don't really know if labels are good or bad, but can you not date other guys anymore?"

She smiled, "Sasuke, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" He started sweating when he heard the word. She laughed at his clear loss of words. "Ok, if that's scary then how about we both just not date other people, and just hang out with each other all the time?"

That was pretty much dating wasn't it? Sasuke's mind flip flopped, but she just looked so beautiful in the moonlight, and he felt so safe around her. He pulled her arm towards him, bringing her in for a hug. "Aa, I can do that."


End file.
